Bachelor of Music

The Jazz programme of Conservatorium Maastricht has been acclaimed as one of the top degree programmes in the Netherlands and was rated number one within the music sector (source: Keuzegids Hoger Onderwijs 2018 (Guide to Dutch Higher Education)). We are extremely proud of this!

Jazz at Conservatorium Maastricht is jazz in the broadest sense of the word: classic jazz, bebop, hot, cool, swing, vocalese, mainstream and all jazz-related styles such as Afro-Cuban, Latin, funk, R&B, fusion and crossover pop.

Jazz is improvisation in any form. Composing, arranging, making original music is an important part of the programme. We challenge you. Get you out of your comfort zone. Spark your imagination and encourage you to develop your own individual sound. That one style that makes you stand out and brings you recognition. That versatile musical idiom you use to set the tone. Playing jazz requires creativity. The ability to see beyond your own boundaries. To let go and then regain control.

You will get to know the world. And the world of jazz

In lessons, but also during special theme days, workshops, projects, and masterclasses by internationally renowned guest lecturers, we explore styles, musicians or bands, rhythms and concepts. Thanks to our central location in Europe, and festivals like the Jazz Night, Cross Currents and our participation in Jazz Maastricht and Het Parcours, you can gain experience at major venues. Playing. Jamming. Improvising to your heart's content. Maastricht venues like Intro In Situ, Theater aan het Vrijthof, AINSI and Muziekgieterij, as well as the cafés, offer countless playing and jamming opportunities on a daily basis.

We will also help you to produce projects, CDs and videos in our professional sound studio. Everything we do is geared towards your future as a musician, band leader, teacher or composer/arranger. You may even end up working in a recording studio or concert agency. Your decision. Your enterprise. The Jazz department has around 120 students, most of whom are foreign. A great network. You will get to know the world. And the world of jazz.

In the Jazz department, we will turn you into a creative, professional and versatile musician. A jazz artist who can put his own unique and artistic personality on the market with great flair. A musician who will eventually make a career for himself as an inspiring player, band leader, composer, arranger, teacher, producer, organiser and/or manager, on a national and international level.